Rapids! were an English

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band from

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

, England, which formed in August 2009.

Career

Rapids! held their debut gig in a small bar in Bournemouth in October 2009. They released their first three track, self-titled EP in November 2009, limited to 200 copies and containing their earliest songs: "Maps", "Void" and "The Elitist". Following further time in the

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

, they released a six track EP in March 2010, building on their first three tracks with the songs "Fuses", "Economics" and "Inland Empire". Between October 2009 and early 2010, Rapids! played a large number of shows across the south coast of England, gaining favourable reviews in ''

Artrocker Artrocker is a UK-based collective involved in music promotion and publishing. It was started by Paul Cox and Tom Fawcett who had been co-promoters of a London night called The Sausage Machine. Having started life with an online newsletter and eve ...

'' and '' Rocksound'', as well as having airplay on John Kennedy's

XFM Radio X is a British National commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. Radio X launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station, a licensed London-wide station in 1997 and nationally in 2015 ...

show. The band signed to the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

based

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

, Heist Or Hit Records, in July 2009. In summer 2010, a year after forming, Rapids! built on the earlier XFM radio play with the track "Fuses" being played by

Tom Robinson Thomas Giles Robinson (born 1 June 1950) is a British singer, bassist, radio presenter and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson ...

. Steve Lamacq invited the band on to his show for a live interview and radio play. In September 2010, Rapids! played a live session for '' BBC Introducing'' on

BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

. The Rapids! song, "Fuses", was played as a soundtrack to the weekly goals round up on

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

's '' Soccer AM''

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

me in October 2010. A UK tour took place in late 2010, and the band were invited to showcase at In The City festival in October. The band released their double A side single 'Comets' and 'House Of Sand And Fog on 11 July 2011 taken from their second release

Fragments EP ''Fragments'' is an EP by Bournemouth alternative group Rapids!, released in various countries in 2011. Overview Fragments is a 2011 EP by Rapids!. It was released on 15 August 2011, and features five tracks. The album is a follow-up to Rapi ...

(released on 15 August 2011 via Heist Or Hit Records). The track 'Nameless/Faceless' from the Fragments EP was remixed by Russell Lissack of

Bloc Party Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band, composed of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass guitar, keyboards, saxophones, backing vocals) and Loui ...

and was one of NME's free downloads. In a note on the band's Facebook page on 10 July 2012 they announced that the band have split up.

References

{{Authority control English musical quintets English indie rock groups Musical groups from Bournemouth 2009 establishments in England 2012 disestablishments in England Musical groups established in 2009 Musical groups disestablished in 2012